The hills of the dead

About this book

The hills of the dead by Robert E. Howard is a pulp fantasy-horror short story written in the early 20th century. It follows the Puritan adventurer Solomon Kane as he answers the pull of the African interior, wielding a voodoo staff given by the sorcerer N’Longa to confront a land cursed by the undead.

Kane rescues a village girl, Zunna, then fights two red‑eyed revenants in a cave, discovering that only fire, a broken neck, or the enchanted staff can end them. Learning the hills shelter a nation of walking dead rooted in an ancient stone city, he calls on N’Longa through dream-magic. N’Longa’s spirit enters Zunna’s lover, Kran, and guides Kane into the vampire country. Swarmed on a crag, Kane holds the fiends at bay until N’Longa summons vast flocks of vultures, which drive the undead into their city; the pair then ring it with fire, destroying the brood. Back at the cave, N’Longa restores Kran and Zunna, explains the staff’s power, and departs, while Kane, scarred but resolute, turns again toward the beckoning wilds.